As for Kimiko, no more ambiguity. She wants Miho out of Piro's story, in the most effective way she knows how. The previous four comics suggest there is going to be an eventual meeting at The Foxhole of at least three parties: Kimiko and Piro, Miho and Yaku with Junpei, and Ping. Kimiko's little scheme is going to backfire with much damage to urban area.

SD seems to no longer need the tinfoil hat that it had made from merciless hammering on Occam's Razor. This is a strange state of affairs. I do hope that it finds the need for it again someday.

he previous four comics suggest there is going to be an eventual meeting at The Foxhole of at least three parties: Kimiko and Piro, Miho and Yaku with Junpei, and Ping.

I guess Miho might want to see Piro, and Yaku knows where he is. I'm just wondering how that connection might be made in the conversation Miho and Yaku will have. I'd expect it to be more about Yaku telling Miho off for getting Mugi hurt.

--------------------'The secret of lesbian porn is the self-insertion fantasy, the feeling of "You know, the right dick could turn those clam-licking hotties into hot wet sex fiends... and I am that brave dick." Keep that in mind' - Dom

Also, I notice that Kimiko is calling him "Piro" now, rather than "Piro-san".

Next it will be "Pirooo-kuuuuuuun"

And then the slightly metallic smell of blood being burnt by lava.

--------------------'The secret of lesbian porn is the self-insertion fantasy, the feeling of "You know, the right dick could turn those clam-licking hotties into hot wet sex fiends... and I am that brave dick." Keep that in mind' - Dom

he previous four comics suggest there is going to be an eventual meeting at The Foxhole of at least three parties: Kimiko and Piro, Miho and Yaku with Junpei, and Ping.

... and Ping's "date" who I theorise may be l33t d00d.

Yea, verily: Who is that, running on the steppes! It is Sax, clutching buzzsaw hand extensions! He howls homicidally:
"I'm seriously going to pound you into the fast lane!!!"
Oh, yeah, I wrotePingsome backstory once.

No, he understands this part. He's just nervous and confused and unsure what to do in a larger sense. He is attracted to Kimiko, and he does like her. But he is also still in love with Miho, and they had just been repairing that relationship. He even saved her life last night. But now Miho's angry at him for something he doesn't understand, and Kimiko was helping in some way he doesn't really understand. Kimiho said she loves him, but was that Kimiko saying that or was she saying what she thought Miho would say? And then Kimiko jumped him in the car, which he didn't expect at all, and here they are at a love hotel, which he didn't plan at all.

Piro has been passively going with the flow because he doesn't know what to do. It's very clear even to him that Kimiko is ready for funtimes, but is that really what he should be doing? Or should he trying to find Miho again? He's going to have to make a choice here, because even just going along with what Kimiko wants would be a significant choice.

Regardless of long-term emotions, there are 20-something hormones to consider. They should be running like freight train about now, and in particular running over anything like logical thought.

I don't seriously think Fred is going in this direction but ... is Piro gay? A *highly* closeted gay? Closeted asexual may be a better option. 'Asexual' -- people that just don't like sex -- is just becoming a thing, so if Piro is asexual he might not have the vocabulary to talk or think about it.

It would make sense -- the woman he fell in love with, he fell in love through IRC, where there was no chance of actual physical consummation. Even in person, there is no chance of physical intimacy with Miho right now, which makes her safe. Piro got into a relationship in Endgames, but again that was mediated through electronics.

I'm really amused at the idea of Piro being a totally in-denial gay and having a massive crush on Largo, which is why Piro has stayed by Largo all this time.

Like I said, I really doubt if Fred is taking the story this way, but Piro is acting like an asexual man who hasn't come to terms with it. His culture tells him he should at least aspire to being a raging sex beast, but that's not him. He might not really have the language to describe who he is.

I think Kimiko just wants the ambiguity, "it's complicated" dodge, to be over. One way or another.

Piro on the other hand is probably feeling that this just is not the right time for this. I find it interesting that people are claiming his hormones should be running high and turning him into a raging sex beast or something.

But consider that Piro has had Miho drag him into a world that literally bends space, causing Piro to question some of the beliefs he's always had. He's finally seen the power of the horde as it just destroyed a school building, hospitalizing a bunch of people. Yuki has revealed to him that he (due to his connection with Miho) can also become a target of that horde. Then he had to deal with his current sort of girlfriend accidentally almost killing his old flame, and he having to perform CPR to keep her alive.

Then having said old flame go into full panic attack and yell at him for saving her life. Remember that last time she got emotional like this was when the horde attacked and destroyed the school. And then something happened that severally damaged the hospital. With Kimiko suddenly there, taking on the role of Miho, and play acting Miho's death. Then having to escape with "the body" followed by Kimiko making out with him while hiding in the backseat of a car while lying on broken glass. Followed by showing up at a love hotel, Kimiko signalling she wants fun times, when Piro still doesn't know what the heck is going on, where Miho is, or why Kimiko was pretending to be her, why they had to fake Miho's death, or anything at all.

All this within less than 24 hours. Maybe less than 12.

Look, some people find excitement and danger arousing, but there are also other people who in moments of danger have their instincts go quiet and they become cold and rational. Largo is the first, Piro has clearly shown himself to be the later.

It's entirely reasonable for Piro's response to this whole situation to not be "hey let's have fun times!" but instead to want to shower, get a clean change of clothes, and then to sit down and rationally discuss what has been happening, so that he understands the threat, the tactical situation, and the goals.

Piro hates flying by the seat of his pants, he wants a plan, and it's perfectly reasonable and in character for him to find Kimiko's come on to be inappropriate for the situation they are in. He's been playing along without understanding, because he sensed the situation was to dangerous to discuss things, but this is not how Piro likes to play, and it's perfectly understandable that he wants to use this pause in operations tempo to figure out a plan, and not waste it on sexy fun times.

That's typical Piro. Just because he's not reacting like Largo would does not mean that he's asexual or gay.

Funny, that was my first thought when reading this page: "The cleaning staff must hate this room". Also, I learned today that laughing in Japanese is apparently different than in English. Nice to see Kimiko relaxing and having fun for a change.

I really hope Fred didn't draw every panel from scratch, that would be a nightmare with that wall detail.

If I was just recently talking with the girl who had dumped me two years ago,
and who I even for a while thought she was a guy, because she made me think so while dumping me,
who dumped me so harshly, that I regretted ever starting to talk to her,
and if I had recently revealed to that girl, that my game avatar carried a child, that our avatars have procured willingly,
and I saw that girl's reaction to this revelation,
then even if I was still angry with that girl, who I still because of that history, consider to be totally unreal,
it probably would put me off big time from snuffing happy-times with a new real girl, who fancies me, who doesn't know about /that/ yet, because I chose to not tell her...

Especially if I have told to that real girl, that I don't want it to be easy, but I want it to be right...

(edit: break up into paragraphs )
(edit2: some more punctuation and more words added)

Last edited by cidjen on Mon Jan 29, 2018 4:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.